Robbins, Illinois, renames street in honor of retired NBA star Dwyane Wade
The south Chicago suburb of Robbins, Illinois, on Sunday honored retired NBA basketball player Dwyane Wade with a new street name and a day of celebration.
Wade, an NBA Hall of Famer, lived in Robbins with his family growing up.
On Sunday, residents, families, and visitors were set together for the first Dwyane Wade Day, a community-wide celebration highlighted by the dedication of the newly renamed Dwyane Wade Boulevard — previously known as Claire Boulevard.
Wade was there too, and got to see the street named in his honor for himself.
"I've traveled the world, I've played in front of thousands, I've won championships, I've experienced moments that I could never dream of," Wade said. "But standing here today. being here, seeing familiar faces, being on the same street that I ran up and down — it just feels different."
This village indicated that this was not the addition of a second honorary street name, as designated by a brown sign in Chicago, but a complete renaming of the northeast-southwest road that cuts through Robbins from Francisco Avenue and Broadway Street to Pulaski Road near 144th Street.
The Village of Robbins held a community block party at 139th Street and what used to be Claire Boulevard for the official Dwyane Wade Boulevard street-renaming ceremony, with a community program and remarks, live entertainment, food vendors, and family activities.
Wade also hosted a free youth basketball camp and shoe giveaway.
"While celebrated globally for his legendary NBA career, Wade has consistently embraced his Southland roots, proudly acknowledging Robbins as a foundational part of his story and inspiring generations of young people to dream beyond their circumstances," the village said.
Wade is a native of Chicago's South Side. His childhood home was at 59th Street and Prairie Avenue in the Washington Park neighborhood. He and his family later lived in south suburban Robbins.
Wade put Harold L. Richards High School in Oak Lawn on the basketball map, winning a pair of conference titles, and went on to Marquette University in Milwaukee — where he took the Marquette Golden Eagles to the NCAA Final Four in 2003.
He was drafted by the Miami Heat that same year as the fifth overall pick, and played with the Heat for 13 straight seasons — winning NBA titles with the team.
Wade was signed to the Bulls for a two-year deal in 2016, but only played in his hometown for one. He negotiated a contract buyout the following year and moved to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Wade returned to the Heat in 2018 and finished his playing career in Miami.
In 2023, Wade joined the ownership group for the Chicago Sky. In 2025, he revealed that he lost part of one of his kidneys to cancer just over a year earlier.
Meanwhile, the village said it was coordinating with the United States Postal Service about the street renaming.
The names Claire Boulevard and Dwyane Wade Boulevard are expected to be used concurrently for about a year after the street renaming so that businesses and residents can receive mail addressed to either street name. But residents are expected to start updating their mailing addresses, driver's licenses, and other relevant information right away.
